Parliament adopts call for unpaid-care policy, infrastructure budget

Parliamentary Watch

HARARE — The National Assembly has adopted a motion calling for a national policy and legislation on unpaid domestic and care work, placing pressure on government ministries to account for the economic value of work largely carried out by women and girls.

The motion, moved by Hon. O. Sibanda, calls on the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to develop a comprehensive policy and legislation on unpaid care work and commission a survey to assess its contribution to gross domestic product.

It also calls on the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion to increase allocations for social protection, infrastructure development and social services.
The motion was put to the House and agreed to on August 20.

MPs said the issue is particularly tied to access to water, energy, childcare and care services, matters that affect households in both rural and urban communities, including across Matabeleland.

Hon. P. Zhou told the House that the 2025 Zimbabwe Time-Use Survey showed a substantial gender gap in time spent on domestic and care work.

“Females spend 1.5 times more than males in committed work, that is domestic and unpaid care work , 5.9 hours against 3.8 hours per day,” Zhou said.

She said the disparity was highest among people aged 25 to 34, where women spent 228% more time than men on domestic chores, unpaid care and volunteer work combined.

Zhou urged the adoption of an unpaid-care policy based on the International Labour Organisation’s “5R” framework: recognise, reduce, redistribute, reward and represent care work.

She said reducing unpaid work required investment in “care-supporting infrastructure, clean water, energy access, child care facilities and time-saving technologies.”

Hon. Madzivanyika said the debate was not a proposal for the State to immediately pay salaries to every unpaid caregiver, but rather a call to reduce the burden through practical public services.

“It is not about pulling resources so that they are paid but instead, it is about recognising unpaid domestic work,” Madzivanyika said.

He added: “In rural areas, you find that women struggle to raise food for their children. As Government, for us to reduce that burden, we need to introduce irrigation schemes where they can get a source of income from irrigation projects.”

The legislator also called for affordable gas, biogas and rural electrification to reduce dependence on firewood, as well as budget allocations for sanitary wear.

Hon. Thompson argued that domestic and care workers needed legal protections, including “off days and even compensation.”

“There must be stipulated payments. Even sick leave; they should be allowed to have time off,” Thompson said, adding that workers should receive training, particularly those caring for children, elderly people and persons with disabilities.

However, Hon. Kaitano urged Parliament to scrutinise the cost and design of any compensation system before implementation.

“I am thinking of the cost on the Government. How big is such a cost going to be?” Kaitano said. “How then [do] we identify these caregivers and not abuse the programme?”

Hon. P. Moyo said family caregivers were already carrying a burden that would otherwise fall on the public health system.

“Without this invisible workforce, our public health system would simply be overwhelmed,” he told the House. “Yet, these caregivers often receive no training, no financial support and no recognition despite saving Government millions of dollars in institutional care costs.”

In winding up the debate, Sibanda said the adopted motion was critical to “recognising and upholding the dignity of our unpaid care workers in the country.”

The resolution is a parliamentary call for policy and budget action; it does not itself create a law or establish a compensation scheme.

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